


Hold On

by NIGHTFURY



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-16 17:25:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15442107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NIGHTFURY/pseuds/NIGHTFURY
Summary: In which Lance actually talks to his teammates, confesses to his crush, and causes a prison riot with nothing but a song.





	Hold On

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the version of Hold On from Detroit: Become Human. I have watched way too many video game trailers.
> 
> Also, forgive any spelling or punctuation errors. My beta was busy.
> 
> Note: Doing minor punctuation edits.

Lance sighed as he slid down the wall of his prison cell. This was not how he expected his day to end. Granted, he really didn’t expect it to end well in the first place, but getting captured by Sendak was definitely not on the schedule.

What was on the schedule was a pit stop on the journey back to Earth.

* * *

_Earlier that day..._

The Lions of Voltron were all drifting in orbit of a planet covered in green foliage. The forests were so dense, Lance couldn’t even see the lake they were supposed to land next to. 

”What’s this planet called again, Coran?” Hunk asked over the comm.

”Coaxl.” Coran replied from the Blue Lion. “It’s a very peaceful planet, and the locals are quite friendly. Despite their small stature, they are some of the greatest builders you will ever find. Aside from the Olkari of course, but they only beat the Coaxlians because of their technological prowess.” 

“The universe is so much bigger than I thought.” Romelle mused. “There’s so many species.”

“Are you sure they are friendly?” Keith asked from Black.

”Oh, most certainly! Why, I can recall the last time I visited the Coaxlians-“

”Coran, while I’m sure it is a fascinating story, we really do need to head down and replenish our supplies.” Shiro interrupted over the comm. Lance instantly perked up, noticing how the now 27 year old man sounded less tired than before.

Shiro’s recovery from dying and consequently being reborn had been going well, but his mental energy was still rather low. The now white haired man could barely get through training without falling asleep, so piloting Black for more than a couple hours was not an option. So as Keith's mom, Krolia, watched over Shiro as he rested, Keith flew Black. 

"Yeah, we are low on food. And water. And basically everything else." Pidge's voice dipped as she read the inventory list.

"Don't worry Pidge." Matt told her. He was one of the first people to find Team Voltron after their fight with Lotor, and he joined them on the journey to Earth when he heard why. "Once we get down there, we’ll restock on supplies.”

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I could sure use some fresh air." Lance added. A round of agreement made Lance perk up. It was nice to know everyone liked his idea. Lately, everyone seemed more interested at yelling at him or calling him stupid.

“Hey Lance? You coming or what?” Keith asked. Lance blinked and realized in his momentary distraction, everyone had already  began heading down.

“Yeah, sorry. Following you, leader.” Lance shook himself. A quick push on the controls sent the Red Lion down.

The Lions landed on the shore, far enough away from the tree village to not to send dust billowing on the Coaxlians. Lance finished making sure Red was safely settled and looked to welcoming party. His eyes widened disbelief and zoomed in.

"They're Ewoks." Lance blurted out. A large grin spread across his face. "Guys, the Coaxlians are EWOKS!!!" Groans erupted from the speakers.

"Lance, no!" Hunk whined.

”What are Ewoks?” Romelle asked curiously. 

"Hey Shiro! An Ewok walks into a bar-"

"Matt, don't you dare!" Pidge growled.

"Come on! It's a classic!" There was a thump and Matt yelped. “Hey! Don’t hit me!”

“Guys, knock it off.” Keith ordered. “Let’s go say hello. And no one say a word about Ewoks!” He added. “We don’t want to offend them.” Soon, all of them faced the crowd of Ewoks. The largest one, a sooty grey, held a large staff in his hand.

”We welcome you, Voltron. Welcome to Coaxl. I am Asp-en, leader of this tribe.” The Ewok introduced himself. “We have accommodations ready for you, and tonight a feast will be prepared for you! Anything you ask of us, we will do our beat to provide it.”

Allura immediately dove into the diplomatic greetings, and introduced the rest of the team. Lance tried to pay attention to what she and the Ewok leader were discussing. He really did. But as the talks stretched and got more technical, Lance found himself making a list of what needed to be done; repairs, fueling, restocking. With a sigh, he realized that the only thing Lance was possibly needed for was restocking and taking care of their cow Kaltenecker. Who was apparently doing fine on her own eating the grass by the lake. Lance hissed in pain and Pidge hit his side with her elbow.

"Lance, pay attention!" Pidge hissed.

“Sorry.” Lance grumbled rubbing at his ribs, completely missing the concerned glance between Hunk and Pidge. A gentle hand settled on his shoulder.

"Lance, is everything okay?" Hunk whispered.

_Uh-oh._

"I'm fine." Lance lied.

"You sure? You've been spacing out lately." Hunk stared concerned.

"Just, thinking on some things."

Two slip ups in one day? If he was having this many problems keeping his happy mask up, then he needed to talk to the team ASAP. They probably already suspected something, and Lance didn't want them jumping to the wrong conclusions, or worse, brushing aside the issue until it exploded in everybody's faces.

If there was one thing he learned from Kuron, it was that problems should not be buried. It could be the difference between life and death.

As the team followed the Ewoks towards the village, Lance ran forward and grabbed Shiro's remaining arm.

“Shiro? Can I talk with you after this?”

* * *

Lance was pleasantly surprised by how well the day had gone. His private conversation with Shiro had ended up becoming a group meeting between himself, Shiro, Allura, Matt, and Coran, but it was better because of it.

Lance let out his insecurities about being a Paladin; he wasn’t the best pilot, his fighting wasn’t the greatest, and finally, he felt guilty about what happened with Kuron. Overall, he felt he contributed nothing meaningful to Voltron or the Coalition.

All four of them were quick to rebuke those thoughts and remind Lance of his strengths: his ace sniper skills, his ability to think on his feet, and the way he could dispel tension with a few words. Allura even admitted she couldn’t see a Voltron team without Lance McClain on it. Lance barely managed to keep from crying.

Once Lance was more in control of his emotions, the rest of the group shared their own problems. Shiro hesitantly told them about his own worries about leading the team again, and his strange discomfort being in a body that wasn’t his. Matt shared next about how he was tired of fighting and desperately wanted a moment he could spend with his family that wasn’t shadowed by war. Allura mentioned how her failure to see the lies Lotor wove haunted her. Coran went last, opening up about what it was like to watch his planet burn before waking to the future where the name was only heard in stories.

When all of them finished, Matt did a strange hiccuping laugh. “We’re so messed up. God, we need therapists.”

Shiro latched onto that comment with fervor, and with that in mind, all five of them made plans for the team to either see a therapist on Earth or talk to Romelle about the Altean version of one. Lance was personally leery of letting a stranger into his head at first, but grew excited by the idea as Matt spoke. Apparently the older Holt sibling had a therapist when he battled depression as a teenager at the Garrison. Lance figured so long as everyone else was doing it, he could too.

When the group broke up, Allura pulled him aside. To his great embarrassment, she wanted to talk about Lance's feelings for her. Though it was hard to listen to Allura explain why she didn't feel the same, Lance felt light with relief. He hadn't lost his friendship with the Altean princess, and he finally got some closure.

The conversation with Hunk and Pidge happened about a hour afterwards. Lance, emboldened by the success with the others, dragged the two into a quiet hut an Ewok graciously loaned them.

(“Lance, they’re called Coaxlians!”

“But it’s so much easier to say Ewoks Hunk!”)

Lance started the minute the door closed. He was blunt about how alone he had felt when they started to shut him out more as time when on. He elaborated on how angry and hurt he was when they cruelly teased him over his feelings about Allura and Lotor. Lance nearly lost his composure near then end when he finished with: "I never felt so far away from my best friends, and still only be two feet away from them."

By the time Lance finished explaining, the Garrison Trio was a giant mess of tears. Pidge was tripping over herself to apologize, and Hunk had grabbed Lance in one of his bear hugs as he sobbed. Lance felt something in his chest loosen up, and soon he was whispering forgiveness to both of them. They spent the rest of the afternoon in that hut relaxing together, and Lance couldn’t remember a time recently he felt so loved by his friends.

But now Lance was, as his mother like to say, “a punto de bailar con el Diablo.” He still had to talk to Keith, and if he wasn’t careful, this  ~~confession~~  conversation could break him.

He wasn’t going to let anything stop him though. Lance McClain was through being a coward.

He found Keith at the top of a lookout post on the edge of the tree village. The half Galra looked comfortable leaning against the wooden rail. Krolia was with him, most likely telling Keith a story when she noticed Lance climb up.

“Hello Lance.” She greeted.”

“Good afternoon ma’am.” Lance pretended to tilt a hat on his head. “Would it be too much to ask to have a word with Keith alone?”

Krolia glanced at Keith, who shrugged confused. “Very well. If you insist.” Krolia slid over the railing to a branch below. She then proceeded to hop down out of sight. Lance raised an eyebrow.

“So the need to be extra came from her I take it?”

“What?” Keith tilted his head confused.

Lance shook his head. “Nevermind. Earth meme.”

“Oh.”

The silence that stretched between them gave Lance a chance to check out Keith. Not much about him had changed since he left. Sure, Keith’s raven hair was longer, he was a good two inches taller than before (Lance was still taller than him though, so ha!), and Keith seemed much more assured of himself.

But Keith was still a bit of a hothead. He still was loyal and passionate. He still gave Lance a smirk that sent his poor heart fluttering.  And his violet eyes still had that strange sparkle that always managed to reel Lance in.

Que mierda, he needed to stop gushing or else he would kiss Keith instead of confessing. Although confessing with a kiss did sound like fun.

_ No, bad Lance. Focus. _

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Keith asked.

_ Dios, ayudarme. _

”Yeah, about that,” Lance hesitated. “Look, I’m going to say something kinda crazy, and I’m frankly terrified, but I’ve got to tell you before I explode or something.”

”Well then, tell me.” Keith crossed his arms and his brows furrowed. Lance took in a deep breath, then the words he’d been dying to say for months (or maybe years, time was weird in space) came spilling out:

“Keith Kogane, I love you.”

The wind blew softly in the trees. The sounds of laughter drifted from the party below. Many cheered as the first fireworks began. Lance didn’t care. His whole world narrowed down to Keith’s wide eyes and gaping mouth; the picture of complete shock.

“It didn’t start out that way. I really did hate you back at the Garrison. But somewhere along the line, around when Shiro disappeared and you became the leader, the hate became friendly competition, and then when you left I realized my feelings were definitely more that something you would feel for a friend.”

Keith gaped at him throughout the entire explanation, violet eyes not once leaving Lance’s face. Lance felt anxiety turn the butterflies in his stomach to stone. Keith’s shock was doing nothing to help get a read on him. Lance made a split second decision.

“If you’re not comfortable with this, with me liking you, then, then I’ll stop talking.” Lance fumbled. “And, just, say the word, and, I’ll never speak of it ever again. I’ll keep it quiet and I’ll act as I did before.” He gulped before adding, “If you want, I’ll-I’ll leave. I’ll stay away, and you’ll never have to talk to me again. I-I promise.”

And Keith was still gawking at him. Dios, Lance was ripping his heart out for this guy! Would it kill him to show some expression other than surprise?!?

“Lance, you, what?” Keith was completely tongue-tied. If this moment weren’t so dreadfully important to him, Lance would have thought it cute.

And as what happens with most dreadfully important moments, someone just had to interrupt it.

_**BOOM!!!** _

Keith and Lance moved in unison, dropping to the floor of lookout tower. Lance’s bayard transformed into a sniper rifle as Keith pulled out his knife.

“That was definitely not fireworks.” Lance grumbled. He looked up to the sky and saw waves of Galran fighters descending.

 _“Paladins!”_ Allura’s voice crackled over the comm. _“Return to the Lions! It’s Sendak!”_

“Not that pest again!” Lance complained. He got on the ladder and slid down, with Keith on his heels. 

“Wait, Lance-“ Lance cut off Keith quickly.

”There’s no time Keith! You heard Allura! Sendak’s attacking!” Lance made it to the bottom and started to head down the trail. Keith caught up and tried again.

”Lance, what you said-“ 

 _”They’re taking the Coaxlians!”_ Coran interrupted. Keith grabbed Lance's arm before he could run away.

”This isn’t over.” Keith’s eyes were intense purple beams locking Lance in place. “Meet me in Black once we’re done with Sendak.” Keith let go of Lance and went running through the forest.

_Oh boy._

* * *

The fight was going pretty well. Sendak's Fire of Purification was no match for five Lions. Despite not having the Castle of Lions, Voltron easily overwhelmed the Galran fighters.

Then the fighters started ganging up on the Yellow Lion.

”Guys, I could use a little help here!” Hunk pleaded. “I’m not sure how much more of a beating Yellow can take!”

"I'm on it Hunk!" Lance swerved around, shooting down more of the fighters tailgating his friend. He could hear Keith leading Pidge and Allura in taking down some of the bigger ships. Explosions erupted as Lance let loose with Red's fire cannon. Soon, there were no more fighters surrounding Yellow.

"Thanks Lance. I thought they had me for a second." Lance smiled as his friend thanked him, but before he could reply, he noticed the largest ship in Sendak's fleet break formation. The flagship's ion cannon glowed. Lance gasped as he realized it was aimed at the unaware Yellow Lion and it's pilot.

“Hunk, look out!” Lance pushed Red forward, bodyslamming Yellow out of the way of the beam. Lance quickly curled away from the controls as electricity flowed over into the cockpit. Red roared in pain. The team immediately flooded Lance’s helmet with their voices.

"Lance!" Hunk cried out.

“Are you okay Lance?” Keith demanded to know.

"Lance, are you there?" Pidge's voice sounded nervous.

"Lance, please respond!" Allura's voice wavered.

Lance slowly uncurled from the pilot seat. The cockpit was dark and Red was silent. The team continued to call over and over as Lance tried to slow his rapid heartbeat. After a few seconds, he finally sat up. "Hunk, you good?" Lance called.

"I'm fine, I didn't even get hit." Hunk reassured. "What about you?

"I'm okay." Lance tentatively pulled on the controls before he heard Red groan in his mind. "But Red took a lot of damage. I think we're dead in the water.” A purple glow engulfed his sight, and Lance panicked. "Guys! I'm caught in a tractor beam! I need help!" He yelled.

”Hold on! We’ll get you out!” The Black Lion twisted on itself and raced towards the Red Lion.

”Sendak’s engines are powering up! He’s leaving!" Pidge warned.

"We're on our way Lance! We’re coming!” Hunk promised.

”It’s too late!” Pidge denied. “We need to-“

Those were the last words Lance heard as the Red Lion were pulled into Sendak's ship. The last thing he saw before the doors closed was the Black Lion racing towards them desperately.

* * *

_Present_

So yeah, Lance's day had a lot of potential to go bad. On the bright side though, it didn't go bad the way he thought it would. So, yay!

Okay, that thing with Keith was still in the air, but still.

Lance took a good look at his surroundings and noticed what he missed earlier in the purple light: he wasn't alone in the cell.  One Balmeran, three Ewoks, two Olkari, and four Puigians were huddled at the back of the cell. They all stared at Lance sadly, as if his presence pained them. Lance tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace.

"Hi there." Lance waved softly. One of the smaller Ewoks waved back, trying to mimic his smile. The rest of the prisoners however remained still and silent. Lance dropped his hand and closed his eyes as he tried to make himself comfortable on the cold floor.

 _I hope I'm not in here for long._  He thought as he drifted to sleep.

* * *

Lance woke up to three sentries opening the cell. He stood up in time for the guards to painfully grab him and slap restraints on his wrists. They then added what Lance mentally dubbed "space ankle chains" that connected with the wrist restraints. Feeling much like a trussed up turkey, Lance was then yanked out of his cell.

"Alright, alright!" Lance griped. “I get it! I can walk, you know!” He added, struggling to pull himself out of their grasp. It was no use; the Galarn soldiers had an iron grip. Lance resigned to being walked/dragged like a heavy sack of wheat. Yeah, he was never telling the team this. He'd never hear the end of it.

Lance stiffened when he heard a growl.  _Red._  Lance could feel her irritation, but he got the feeling it wasn't towards him. He could also faintly feel her working to repair her inner systems. She must have gotten more hurt than I thought.

The guards turned another corridor and Lance recognized the hanger he and the Red Lion were originally pulled into. Sendak was there, just outside Red’s particle barrier. Lance was stopped a few feet away and released. A hard kick behind his legs forced him down to his knees.

“Blue Paladin." Sendak purred. "Or is it Red now? You were in the wrong lion when you became my guest.”

”Last I checked, most hotels have better room service.” Lance quipped. “So far, I wouldn’t even give you one star.”

"It has been some time since I've had the Red Lion on my ship." Red growled in Lance's mind as Sendak stared at her with greed. She didn't like being reminded of the last time she was captured by him. “Let’s not waste our new time together with empty words.” Sendak turned to Lance with a glare. "Open your lion." 

"¿Disculpa?" Lance asked in disbelief.

"What?" Sendak muttered in confusion. It took a moment for Lance to realize he slipped into his native tongue in shock. It took another to remember Spanish wasn't translated on universal comms.

_This could be fun._

"¿Quieres que abra el Leon Rojo para ti?" Lance continued in Spanish. "Eres tonto o-"

While Sendak couldn't speak Spanish, even he knew when he was being insulted. The back slap hit Lance's face hard. Lance barely managed to stay on his knees from the force of it.

"Druid!" Sendak called out. Lance barely blinked before he felt familiar white hot pain course through him. His muscles seized up. He shut his eyes and grit his teeth. Eventually, it ended. Lance breathed heavily as he looked up at Sendak and the Druid previously hidden in the shadows. The Galra leered down at Lance sadisticly.

"Every time you refuse, you will feel this pain. Make this easy for yourself Paladin. Open your lion."

 _Red, whatever you do, do not intervene._ The hanger shook at the force of the Red Lion's audible growl.  _No, listen to me. Focus on healing yourself. Get your systems back online. I can take this Red, but if we are ever going to get out of here, you need to be at your best! Red, do not let your barrier down. PLEASE RED!!!_ Red growled again, but the yellow glow in its eyes dimmed in acceptance.  _Thank you Red._

"Blue Paladin, open your lion." Sendak ordered. Lance took in a deep breath and readied himself.

"No." 

* * *

It was vargas before the torment stopped. Sendak had him sent back to cell, and Lance was kinda glad they didn't expect him to walk. His muscles felt like jelly at this point. He wasn't sure he could walk. The sentries through him in the cell roughly and closed the door behind him. 

Lance groaned as he pushed himself against a wall. He shut his eyes and started doing deep breathing exercises to try and shut out his leftover pain. Lance stiffened when he felt a tug on the sleeve of his prison uniform.

”Are you okay?” A sweet voice asked. Lance looked over. The smaller Ewok stood next to him, her mud brown fur quivering. Her black eyes were wide and shiny.

”I’m okay. Just a couple aches, is all.” He whispered. Then Lance smiled. “How about you, little lady? How are you on this fine day?” The little Ewok giggled.

“I’m okay too!” She smiled.

”How about all of you? Are any of you hurt?” Lance glanced up to gaze at the other prisoners. A series of wary head shakes met his gaze. Only the oldest Pugian relaxed his hold on the younger Pugians. If Lance had to guess, they were probably his family.

”We are all fine, Blue Paladin. Yes, I recognize you.” The old man croaked as Lance blinked. “I was there when you saved our home planet. You took a picture with my eldest daughter.”

Lance’s brow furrowed. “I remember you now. But, I can’t recall your name. Sorry.”

”It’s alright, Paladin. I never told you it.”

”You’re a Paladin?” The smaller of the gray Olkari gaped. “But everyone says Voltron disappeared in the fight with Lotor!”

”We’re still here.” Lance reassured them. “We’re just, took a hard hit, so we’re trying to recover right now.” The entire cell seemed to relax as Lance spoke. Even if they were all imprisoned, everything seemed a little safer in the presence of a hero.

”Blue Paladin, sir?” The mud brown Ewok tugged his sleeve again. Lance carefully moved his arms and pulled her into his lap.

"Please, call me Lance." He told the little Ewok. "That's my name, after all." The Ewok’s face brightened.

“My name is Levah! That’s my papa Sae-dar, and my mama Pah-ian!” The little Ewok pointed at the reddish brown Ewok, and then then the gray one as she spoke. The rest of the cell took this chance to introduce themselves.

“I am Thaner. And this is my sister Kiya.” The larger Olkari introduced and the smaller one waved.

“My name is Bel.” The Balmeran spoke gravely.

”And I am Karon. These three are my grandchildren, Aleth, Demina, and Icaro. He’s the oldest.”

"Nice to meet you all." Lance smiled. 

They spent some time talking. It was mostly Lance distracting Aleth, Demina, and Levah with questions about themselves. Soon, he knew all about their favorite foods, their favorite animals, and even their favorite Paladin of Voltron. (Lance gave a mock gasp of betrayal that had the kids laughing when he learned Aleth’s favorite was Keith.)

It was this reminder of his space family that caused Lance to go silent as the children talked to each other. His heart felt heavy as he thought of what they were doing now. Thanks to his talks with all of them, he was almost certain they were working on a rescue. The problem lay in Sendak’s mission to open the Red Lion. Lance wasn’t sure how long he would survive under such harsh torture.

_No, I can’t think like that. My team will come. My space family is coming. I just need to hold on._

A faint memory resurfaced in Lance’s mind. An old song he heard once back at Hunk's house once. One of Hunk's moms was singing it, and when Lance asked, she taught him the old gospel song. It fit his current situation perfectly. The urge to sing it rose in him. Well, he did need a distraction. Why not?

 _“Hold on, just a little while longer.”_  Lance started softly. _“Hold on, just a little while longer. Hold on, just a little while longer. Everything will be alright.”_

“What are you singing?” Levah asked. 

“It’s called “Hold On.” It’s from Earth. My home planet.” Lance explained.

“What is it about?” Sae-dar spoke up.

”Earth’s history can be really messy at times. Bloody even.” Lance carefully admitted. “The song was originally sung by a group of slaves. Slaves that one day took back their freedom. It took a long time, but they held on. I guess the song is about not giving up hope. The message literally is: Don’t give up, because one day, it will all be worth it.”

Lance blushed as he realized everyone in the cell was staring at him rividly. Their eyes were wide as they took in Lance’s words. No one seemed to even breathe in the silence that stretched.

”Wow.” Demina whispered. “That’s amazing.”

“A powerful message, to have helped free slaves.” His grandfather agreed.

”Blue Pa-I mean, Lance?” Levah tugged on Lance’s prison uniform.

”Yeah Levah?”

”Can you teach me your song? Please?” 

Lance beamed at the words. He ended up staying up all night teaching ten aliens the song.

* * *

The next three days proceed the same way as the first. He got woken up and chained up by guards. Lance was then dragged to the hanger and told to open Red to them. Lance refused every single time, and his reward was being tasered by the Druid.

In between shocks, Lance would revert to Spanish to annoy Sendak. Lance was actually having fun doing this, and was becoming more creative with his insults.

_“¡Eres tan feo que haces llorar a las cebollas!”_

_”¡Son el hijo de una hiena!”_

_”¡Vete a freír espárragos!”_

Of course, this earned Lance more than a few extra shocks. Lance did his best to ignore it and continue anyway.

Eventually, Sendak got tired of this, and Lance was escorted back to his cell. Food would be sent in, and Lance spent the rest of his time before sleeping teaching his cellmates the song “Hold On.” The children were the first to take to the song, but after a bit, even the adults managed to sing the song without mangling the notes and words. Lance was quite proud of them.

Every one of them had bright smiles when he told them this.

* * *

Everything went bad on the fifth day of Lance’s captivity.

Sendak was furious. Lance wasn’t sure what about, but it was a definitely enough for him to notice when he got dragged into the hanger that day. A worried rumble from Red got him nervous. Sendak didn’t even turn around as Lance was once again forced to his knees.

”This is your last chance Paladin.” Sendak growled. “I have been kind up to this point, but I have had enough with your insolence!”

Suddenly, Sendak lunged at Lance. Instinctively, Lance rolled to the right. He hissed as Sendak’s claws managed to pierce the skin of his left upper thigh. Lance tried to get up, but Sendak pinned him down. His hands began squeezing around Lance’s throat. 

“OPEN THE RED LION!!!” Sendak howled.

Lance struggled to breathe. Black encroached his vision as he finally got enough breath to choke out three words.

“Vete al infierno.”

Sendak roared. He lifted Lance off the ground and threw him away. Something hit his head and Lance knew no more.

* * *

“-adin! Wake-“

”-op the bleed-“

Lance floated in a fuzzy sea of numbness.

“-meone rip that shirt up! I need m-“

Lance something liquid tickle the back of his throat and he coughed hard. Suddenly pain flooded through his senses. Lance’s lungs and throat ached. His back hurt like hell, and his head was screaming in pain. Lance’s left eye was swollen shut. His arms and legs felt like he’d tried to pick up the Red Lion with his bare hands. Lance could feel the wet blood leaking from his left leg.

”He’s coughing up blood!” Karon warned.

“What do we do?” Aleth’s voice wavered. Lance wanted to reach out to comfort them, but he groaned as his muscles gave another spasm of pain.

”We can’t do anything.” Kiya sighed.

”What do you mean you can’t?” Icaro demanded. “Fix him!”

”If he has internal injuries, we can’t fix them.” Thaner replied. “It is up to him whether he lives or not.”

Silence fell like a cloak, and Lance struggled to get a sense of what was going on. He tried move, but groaned as yet another wave of pain wracked through his body. Lance was left breathless. When he got breathing under control, he noticed Bel singing under his breath.

_”Sing on, just a little while longer. Sing on, just a little while longer. Sing on, just a little while longer. Everything will be alright.”_

“Bel, what are you doing?” Pah-ian asked.

”The Blue Paladin draws strength from this song.” Lance could hear the desperate hope in his voice. “If we sing it, perhaps it will help him to live.”

Nine other voices joined in, high and low pitched voices combining into one melody. Lance couldn't fight the tears any longer. They dripped down his cheeks as his cellmates sang.

 _Don’t worry._  He mentally whispered.  _I'm not_ _giving up. Not yet. My friends are coming. And when they get here, all of us will be free._

* * *

Lance was left in the cell for two days. The door was only opened to supply food. Nothing alive ventured near the cell. From what Lance could guess, Sendak was waiting for him to die of his injuries to try and force the Red Lion to take a new Paladin.

Of course, the dumb cat didn’t plan on Lance’s fellow prisoners taking care of him and helping him to stay alive. Sendak didn’t plan on broken prisoners planning a breakout with the Blue Paladin. And he certainly didn’t plan on the revolt on the eighth day of Lance’s captivity.

* * *

_“Step One is getting out. Bel, the next time the sentry comes, attack.”_

The door opened again, but the robot sentry went flying backwards by a large gray fist. Thaner and Kiya ran out and ripped the sentry's back plate open. A few seconds of hacking later, and the sentry's lights glowed green. "Reporting for duty." The electronic voice sounded.

_"Once we are out, our first priority is releasing the other prisoners. The more people we have fighting back, the better our chances of this plan working."_

”Open all the cell doors.” Lance ordered. The sentry moved to obey. Soon, the cell block emptied into the hallways. Confused murmurs came from the prisoners as they meandered around.

”Open the armory, then shut down.” The sentry did as Lance commanded, then collapsed in a heap by the door. Lance limped inside and breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted his armor and bayard in the back. He told Bel and Icaro to begin handing out weapons before moving to put on his own armor. When he stepped out of the armory, everyone gasped. Excited whispers came from all sides as they recognized the white Altean armor. Even badly beaten as Lance was, he still looked quite heroic, if he did say so himself.

”Everyone, follow me to the hanger.” They did so without hesitation.

_"Step Two: we need to get all the children, elderly, and anyone else who is sick or injured to safety. Since Sendak would target any escape pods that we'd launch, the Red Lion is our best bet for this."_

_"I thought you said the Red Lion couldn't fly."_

_"She can't, not yet. Her flight systems are too badly damaged. Her particle barrier on the other hand still works. Everyone behind it would be safe from a star exploding. Sendak won't be able to get to them."_

_"You speak as if the Lion is alive."_

_"That's because she is. I'll explain later."_

Red's audible purr sent a wave of astonishment through the crowd. Lance smiled at the hot gush of affection sent his way. He placed his hand on the barrier and a hole as tall as him appeared. "Alright, everybody in." Lance addressed the gawking crowd.

“Aleth, Demina, Levah, that means us.” Karon ushered them ahead of him and gave a smile to Lance as he slipped in. “Good luck Paladin.”

Everyone else quickly followed suit. The kids were pushed in by their parents, while the elderly and sick were guided in by those who didn't wish to fight. Once everyone was in, the hole closed.

"Keep them safe Red." Red purred and her eyes shined. A fiery message of smug acknowlegement came, followed by fierce encouragement. Lance grinned and walked back to the others. "Time for step 3." He told them.

_"Step 3 is going to be the hardest. There's no way around this part; we have to capture the ship. The best plan will be to split up into three teams."_

_"By the time we get to Step 3, Sendak will know something's up. Team One is going to be the distraction. Keep Sendak and his men focused on you while Team Two and Team Three do their work."_

"Good luck Bel." Lance nodded at the Balmeran. 

"You as well, Lance." Bel waved at his large team to follow down a corridor and they disappeared from sight.

_"Team Two will head for the engine room. Their job is to protect Kiya and Sae-dar as they shut down the engines and take control of communications. Once that's done, they can start helping out Team One."_

"Be safe." Thaner hugged Kiya. A few feet away, Pah-ian asked her mate to do the same. Both parties promised to do so before they raced through another corridor.

_"I will lead Team Three through the vents up to the bridge. Once up there, Pah-ian and Thaner will connect to the engine room, while Icaro and I take down the remaining guards."_

_"What if Sendak is there?"_

_"Leave Sendak to me."_

"You guys ready?" Lance asked.

"Ready when you are." Icaro confirmed.

"Then let's go." Lance ripped off the vent cover and crawled inside. He could hear the rest of his small group following him. Lance prayed his mental map was correct as he made multiple turns in the dark vents. He paused near a vent at one point. Signaling for quiet, he tilted his head to listen. His eyes widened as he realized what he was hearing.

_“Fight on, just a little while longer. Fight on, just a little while longer. Fight on, just a little while longer. Everything will be alright.”_

"That sounds like Team One." Thaner whispered. 

"That sounds like a successful distraction to me." Lance laughed. "Come on, we're almost there."

A minute later and Lance motioned for silence. He checked through the vent one last time before turning around. Lance counted down with his fingers, then kicked the vent in. He grit his teeth as his injured thigh complained.

There were only five guards on the bridge, two of which were robot sentries. Lance hopped up and morphed his bayard into his usual rifle. He took down the three Galran guards quickly, and he heard Icaro use a pilfered blaster to finish the sentries. Lance slipped off his helmet and set it on the commander's seat.

"Pah-ian, Thaner, it's your turn."

The Ewok and Olkari worked quickly. Thaner hacked into the bridge firewalls directly while Pah-ian spliced multiple different wires to aid him. It was moments before the two cheered.

“Steering and flight control are ours!” Pah-ian reported.

“So is communications! We’ve done it!” The computer beeped loudly and Thaner blinked. "What?"

"Thaner, what's wrong?" Lance asked nervously.

"Nothing's wrong! Actually, I think this is good news!"

"Too bad for you, you'll never hear it." Sendak emerged from the shadows by the main door. His mechanical arm glowed as his slammed it of the door’s keypad, which broke into pieces. Sendak had trapped them.

“Everyone, stay behind me.” Lance ordered. He shifted his gun and firing. Sendak growled and raced forward. Knowing his gun would be useless, Lance shifted his bayard into its Altean broadsword form. The sword clashed against Sendak’s arm. The purple glow of its power source cast shadows on both of their faces.

“I will enjoy your death. It will be one of the most painful things you can ever imagine.” Sendak purred. Lance grunted and push Sendak back a good five meters or so away. 

”You haven’t won yet jerk!” Lance challenged. He sprinted forward with a yell.

* * *

The fight seemed to go on forever. In reality, it was probably only ten minutes long.

It was one of the most intense fights Lance had ever been in. His arms vibrated with the force of his sword and Sendak’s arm clashing together. Back and forth they went, each trying to land a hit on the other. Sometimes Lance would strike a blow and send Sendak into a wall or console. Other times, Sendak would be the one to draw blood. Lance struggled to keep Sendak on the defensive, but the thought of Icaro, Pah-ian, and Thaner behind him had Lance pushing on. Sendak would sometimes try to go around him and attack the three, but Lance would always get in the way.

”How are you doing this?” Sendak questioned after Lance deflected a blow away from Icaro. “You are injured! You are the weakest of the Paladins. You are an infection! You are nothing!”

If Sendak had told Lance this before the team landed on Coaxl, Lance might have believed him. Now, he only smirked.

”If I’m the weakest Paladin, then what will people say about you when I beat you?” He taunted. He gripped his sword tighter and ran at Sendak. Then, before he passed him, Lance tucked into a somersault and swung the sword above him. The red bayard sliced through Sendak’s metal arm.

Sendak yelled. He backed away from Lance and stared at the remaining stump of his robotic arm. Something blue flashed from a broken console behind Sendak. Lance quickly looked and saw electricity arcing from exposed wires.

_Oh, the poetic justice._

"Hasta la vista, lameculos." Lance growled. With a final yell, he kicked Sendak into the sparking wires. Sendak screamed as he was electrocuted. His body was slightly smoking when he finally collapsed to the ground. 

Lance walked up to Sendak, nudging him with his foot. When he didn't move, Lance pulled out a set of handcuffs he found earlier in the armory and locked Sendak to a nearby chair. He wasnt sure if Sendak was alive or not, but there was no sense in leaving him free to move if he was alive. With that done, Lance breathed a sigh of exhaustion and relief. He returned his bayard to its resting form and turned around.

Only to find Icaro, Pah-ian, and Thaner staring at him in complete awe. Pah-ian’s fur spiked out, making her look fuzzier than usual. Icaro’s eyes had stars in them. Thaner’s mouth was a wide cavern. Lance felt slightly uncomfortable under their gazes, but his ego flared at the silent praise. 

“Are you hurt?” Lance asked softly. A trio of dazed headshakes was his only answer. Lance’s small burst of relief helped him to focus.”Pah-ian, is there a way you can open the door?”

”I can open it from here. Only the keypad got destroyed, not the mechanism itself.” Pah-ian explained.

“That’s good.” Lance muttered. "Thaner, how are Teams One and Two?" He asked in a louder voice.

"That's what I was going to tell you before Sendak appeared." Thaner blurted in excitement. "Sae-dar and Kiya sent a message saying Voltron is here!"

"What?" Lance gasped.

"They said the Paladins showed up about half a varga ago and sent started helping Teams One and Two. They're on their way up right now!"

Lance couldn't hold it in anymore. He whooped in delight. Icaro and Pah-ian cackled in delight as Lance did a funny jig. The Paladin bounced up and down as he turned on the speakers.

"Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, I am happy to report that Sendak is down! Repeat, Sendak is down!" Lance crowed. "Also, Team Voltron, get your butts up here to the bridge now! I've missed you guys!"

Cheers came through the walls and floor as dozens of prisoners began cheering about their victory. Then the cheers died out and were replaced with hearty singing. Lance guffawed as he listened to the entire ship sing Hold On. He laughed again as Icaro, Pah-ian, and Thaner joined in. They all stopped as something banged on the metal door.

“Lance! Lance!” A muffled voice accompanied the bangs on the door. Lance immediately recognized it as Keith and nodded at Pah-ian to open the door. The second the door was open more than a crack, Keith came racing in. For a brief moment, Lance remembered the blinding panic of confessing on Coaxl. He shoved that to a small corner of his mind, and gave the ever closer Keith a cocky grin.

”Hey there Mul-“

Keith ripped off his helmet and threw it to the ground. He grabbed Lance’s face and pressed his lips to his.

_Oh. Wow. So that’s what they mean by fireworks. Huh. This is really nice._

Keith huffed out a soft laugh, causing Lance to realize he said the last part of his thoughts out loud.

”Lance, we will be outside.” Lance looked up and saw Pah-ian comedically pushing a protesting Icaro and Thaner out the door. “Call if you need our help!” She added before giving the Olkari and Pugian a final shove out of sight.

”For a small Ewok, she sure is strong.” Lance muttered in amazement. 

“Lance-“ 

“I know, I know, they’re called Coaxlians, not Ewoks.”

”That’s not what I was going to say.” Keith argued.

”Oh?” Lance lifted a brow. “What-“ Keith pressed his fingers to Lance’s mouth, and the Blue Paladin’s mind short-circuited.

”Uh-uh. My turn to talk. Okay?” Lance nodded numbly. _His hand is really warm._

”First off, I’m sorry for freezing up when you confessed back on Coaxl.” Keith stared at the floor blushing. “I was so shocked that you were confessing, that you loved me, that I just froze. My brain couldn’t- anyway, I’m sorry.”

Lance wanted to speak, to forgive Keith. However, Keith himself seemed determined to make Lance’s mind glitch with his words and a few gestures, so he remained silent.

“Secondly, I love you too.”

_What?_

”Even back at the Garrison, when I thought your name was Taylor for some reason, I had a massive crush on you. And before you say anything, I’m bad with faces and names. That’s why I didn’t recognize you when we saved Shiro back then.”

Lance was dead. He died in the fight with Sendak and had gone to Heaven because no way was this happening. No way was his greatest dream coming true right here and now. No, wait, there was still pain in his leg. Lance was definitely alive and this was definitely real. And Keith was still talking.

“That brings me to my third point, don’t ever scare me like that again. I nearly lost you Lance, and the thought that I would never get to see you again, that nearly killed me. So don’t do that again. Don’t make me lose you. Please.” Keith begged with a fresh wave of tears. Lance slowly took the hand covering his mouth into his own hand and held on to it.

“You got it samurai.” Lance breathed. Keith flashed another wet smile leaning in. This time, Lance got with the program very quickly. But a sudden thought made him pull back an inch.

”Wait, does this make us boyfriends?” He mumbled near Keith’s lips.

Keith licked his lips slowly. “Only if you want it.”

”I do. I very much want to be your boyfriend.”

“Then I’d say we’re boyfriends, because I want that too.” Lance knew he was probably redder than the lion he flew, but he didn’t care. This had to be the best day of his life, and he did not want it too end. Plus, Keith was just as red too. It was cute. 

“LANCE!!!”

Lance looked up in time to see blurs of green, yellow, pink, and black surround and crash into him and Keith. When Lance got back his bearings, Hunk was hugging him from behind, his armor digging into Lance’s back. Allura was on his left, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. Pidge managed to squeeze in between Allura and Keith and latched herself to Lance’s front. And Shiro managed to get his lone arm around Lance’s shoulders as well. All of them, were crying much like Keith, and soon Lance was sobbing with them too.

“Only you.” Shiro laughed through his tears. “Only you could start a prison riot with nothing but an old song.”

“He didn’t just start a prison riot, he took down Sendak! Just, dude!” Hunk enthused, his hug getting tighter.

“We’re so sorry it took so long to get here.” Allura apologized. “We would have been here sooner-“

“It’s okay.” Lance interrupted. “I don’t care. You’re here now, and that’s what matters.” He buried himself deeper into the group hug.

“Yeah, fair warning: you’re not going to be let out of our sight for a while. It’s just not happening.” Pidge stated. The group murmured in agreement, causing Lance to laugh.

“You got it Pidge.” Lance smiled and closed his eyes, letting the joyous singing outside the bridge sweep him away.

_“Everything will be alright.”_

_“Everything will be alright.”_

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the longest one-shots I have ever written, so please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Okay, now to go destroy my sleep schedule and watch Season 7 when it drops! Yay!
> 
> Spanish translations are a combination of Google Translate, Babble, and my own recollection of my high school Spanish classes. If you speak Spanish, I would appreciate if you could let me know if I made mistakes!
> 
> A punto de bailar con el Diablo: about to dance with the Devil.  
> Dios: God.  
> Que Mierda: What the shit/fuck?  
> Ayudarme: Help me.  
> ¿Disculpa?: Excuse you?  
> ¿Quieres que abra el Leon Rojo para ti?: You want me to open the Red Lion for you?  
> ¿Eres tonto o-?: Are you stupid or-?  
> ¡Eres más feo que haces llorar a las cebollas!: You are so ugly that you make onions cry!  
> ¡Son el hijo de una hiena!: You are the son of a hyena!  
> ¡Vete a freír espárragos!: Go fry asparagus (a funny way to telling someone to piss off).  
> Vete al infierno: Go to hell.  
> Hasta la vista, lameculos: See you later, ass kisser.


End file.
